Text: Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 Last Sunday our scripture was talking about the end of the world and this week we have John the Baptist running around like a wild man yelling at us to repent. It’s like negative nelly has taken over Advent. Repent?! I mean that’s such a loaded term. It just doesn’tRead More

Text: Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44 The first Sunday in Advent always strikes an odd chord. We come into the sanctuary to see it decorated for Christmas. We are turning our hearts and minds towards Christmas Day and all that is associated with it. It would make sense to hear prophecies talking about the birth ofRead More

Preached on 11/13/16, Scripture Luke 12:32-40 Note: I am indebted to numerous commentaries and discussions with fellow clergy for many of the ideas and examples that helped to create this sermon. This week I leaned on so many wise people to help bring a word of hope and action to my congregation that I could notRead More

Preached on 11/6/16, Scripture: Romans 12:9-21 For the last several weeks now we have been talking about our stewardship campaign, Throw Open the Doors. Next Sunday is the culmination of that campaign and then we anticipate getting back to our regularly scheduled programming just in time to ease us towards the end of the churchRead More

Preached at Hope UCC 6.19.16 This week was hard. So hard. And if it was hard for me as a straight cisgender woman, I can only imagine how much harder it was for members of the LGBTQIA community. I found myself wavering between crushing heartbreak and livid anger. Not only about the massacre itself, whichRead More

For many of us the phrase, “I’m sorry, I just don’t have time for that” is something we seem to say all too often. And for others of us we should say it, but we don’t. The reality for all of us is that there are only 24 hours in a day, regardless of howRead More

Sermon on John 21:1-19 Recently as part of some Sacred Conversations on Race, I learned a few new concepts about transformation and change. Often when we are introduced to new ideas, or when we experience trauma, or even just in our regular day to day lives, there are three different zones, if you will, thatRead More

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hear, o hear, beloved of God, the good news of the gospel: “They tried to buried us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” Let me tell you a story: Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdelene made her way toRead More

Preached at Hope UCC on Easter Sunday, 2013… One of the best things about Easter Sunday is that is the one day in our sometimes more straight-laced churches where a call and response is not just acceptable but expected. So if I say “Christ is risen”, then you say “He is risen indeed!” And thenRead More

Because the world needs to be reminded that God is still speaking and widening the circle… Preached at Hope UCC 4/28/13 Scripture – Acts 11: 1-18 Several years ago the UCC began what would be a rather revolutionary marketing tactic called the “Still Speaking” campaign. It asserted that “God is Still Speaking,” and found inspirationRead More